Our staff spotlight this month is on Ramona Aguasin, our Digital Division Coordinator!

1) How long have you worked at Associated?

I started at Associated on May 8, 2017, as Quality Control in flexo, then moved on to the same thing but for the digital side. Now, I'm a Production Coordinator and Quality Control for our Digital Division. 

2) Describe your journey at Associated so far. 

It was very challenging at first. I came from a management background and have always worked in an office environment, so moving to a pure production role with lots of standing and walking was a big change! I started on the flexo [flexography] side of production and then moved to digital after about a year. That was really exciting to me as I got to start doing a bit more production coordination. 

3) How would you describe the work environment at Associated?

Clean! Everyone has good and genuine rapport, and we all understand how to interact with each other. 

4) What is your favorite thing about working here?

The interactions with everyone working here. Our manager is awesome and very personable, which makes our department organized and our people connected. 

5) What's been your best day at work so far?

I always try to make the best of each day, but I think the milestone for me was when we started getting ahead of our production jobs! Being able to get jobs out earlier than the customer expects feels like a huge achievement, especially when we are busy. 

6) What are you most proud of since working here?

I was proud to be part of the HACCP team when we were in the process of getting our IFS PACsecure certification!

7) What has been the biggest challenge you've encountered since working here?

I've always worked in flexo/offset printing with a small amount of exposure to digital, so that was a big change: getting to know the processes of digital printing and how the machines worked took some time.

8) Do you have a particular moment or memory at Associated that stands out for you?

I had to go on leave for personal reasons and, when I came back, Shaun (Associated President) approached me and asked me how he could help. That just meant so much to me; I felt his genuine and sincere concern. I'd always wanted to work for a family-owned company after working for corporations for so long and I really felt the difference in this situation.

9) What does a typical day look like for you and what are you currently working on?

I start by checking on the digital production team (how they're doing or if they need anything), then look at job reports to see what needs to be done and move on to scheduling and prioritizing jobs to ensure that they go out on time.

I'm currently working on updating our quality standards to make sure they are as up to date as possible! 

10) Describe the advancement opportunities here.

There is definitely a lot of advancement opportunity because we're growing!

11) How does this company support professional development?

I was actually very impressed with how proactive they are. I was offered additional training for my role a few times, and there is a lot of opportunity for more in the future.

12) What is on your wish list for the next 5 years?

I'm just trying to make sure life is as smooth as possible for my four daughters! Here, I want to contribute as much as I can to the team.

13) Given the chance, who would you like to be for the day?

Michelle Obama! I really appreciate all of the projects she works on and I love her mindset about nutrition, the environment, and empowering women and minorities.